Wide Electrocaloric Temperature Range Induced by Ferroelectric to Antiferroelectric Phase Transition

Abstract

The ferroelectric (FE) to antiferroelectric (AFE) phase transition tuning the temperature range of electrocaloric (EC) effects was investigated using phenomenological Landau–Devonshire theory. Contrary to ferroelectric to paraelectric (PE) phase transitions for electrocaloric effects, the ferroelectric to antiferroelectric phase transition was adopted to obtain large entropy changes under an applied electric field in a Sm-doping BiFeO3 system. In addition, the doping composition and hydrostatic pressure was observed to tune the ferroelectricantiferroelectric–paraelectric phase transition temperatures and broaden the operating temperature range of electrocaloric effects. The optimal wide temperature range of ~78 K was observed at 3 GPa compressive hydrostatic pressures and 0.05 Sm-doping BiFeO3. The present study paves the way to designing high efficiency cooling devices with larger operating temperature spans.

Keywords

• electrocaloric effect
• thermodynamic calculation
• ferroelectric-antiferroelectric phase transition
• wide temperature range